Hopper fed conveyor



Aug. 14, 1962 M. A. CAMPBELL 3,

HOPPER FED CONVEYOR Original Filed Feb. 7, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V ENTOR.

MIL F ORD/I. CHMPBEL Z KTTOR/VE Y a Aug. 14, 1962 M. A. CAMPBELL HOPPERFED CONVEYOR 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Feb. 7, 1957 INVENTOR.MILFORD A. CAMPBELL BY K 1 ATTORNEY 1962 M. A. CAMPBELL 3,049,216

HOPPER FED CONVEYOR Original Filed Feb. 7, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 3ATTORNEY 1962 M. A. CAMPBELL 3,049,216

HOPPER FED CONVEYOR Original Filed Feb. 7, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 4INVENTORV MILFORD A. CANPBE L L BY A T TORNE Y Aug. 14, 1962 M. A.CAMPBELL 3,

HOPPER FED CONVEYOR Original Filed Feb. '7, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 n r 7HP LN L;

4* a m Z 52.10 I INVENTOR.

MM FORD A. CAP/FEE L L rATweA/EY rates 3,049,216 I-IGPPER FED CONVEYORMilford A. Campbell, 17225 MacArthur, Detroit, Mich. Originalapplication Feb. 7, 1957, Ser. No. 638,805, now Patent No. 2,930,473,dated Mar. 29, 1960. Divided and this application Feb. 23, 1960, Ser.No. 10,180

7 Claims. (Cl. 198-33) This invention relates to mechanisms forprogressively delivering workpieces upwardly from a hopper, and is adivision of the subject matter of my patent on Hopper Fed Mechanism forOrienting Workpieces, No. 2,930,473, issued March 29, 1960.

An object of the invention is to adapt a conveyor to upwardly deliverelongated workpieces from a hopper, and to equip the conveyor with suchpick-up devices as will assure a substantially constant rate of suchdelivery.

Another object is to provide an opening at the bottom of the hopper toafford passage of said conveyor and pick-up devices upwardly into thehopper.

Another object is to dispose a housing at said opening and adapt saidhousing to afford passage to said conveyor and pick-up devices whilerestraining the hopper contents from downward escape.

Still another object is to provide a lid surmounting the hopper andpivotal at an upper edge thereof, and a cover confronting an upwardlytraveling portion of the conveyor, said cover being pivotally installedupon the lid and slidable relative to said portion of the conveyor whenthe lid is raised or lowered.

These and various other objects are attained by the constructionhereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings,wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the machine, omitting the uptraveling spanof the conveyor.

FIG. 2 is a view of the same in side elevation.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the same.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary elevational view of a portion of the upwardlytraveling span of the conveyor, showing various lodgments of workpieceson the pick-up devices, and showing a channel member which guides theconveyor.

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the same, taken on the line 5-5of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 66 of FIG. 2 showinga provision beneath the hopper to prevent jamming of the machine byworkpieces falling from the hopper.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 77 of FIG. 2 furtherillustrating said provision.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 88 of FIG. 2 stillfurther illustrating said provision.

FIG. 9 is a partial plan view on a reduced scale, showing a lidsurmounting said hopper and a cover enclosing said conveyor.

FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of the same taken on line 10--10 ofFIG. 9.

In these views, the reference character 1 designates a hoppersurmounting legs 2 and having its bottom 1a downwardly inclined toward arear wall 3. Such wall is centrally slotted from top to bottom thereof,its slot 3a opening into an elongated channel member 4 affixed to saidwall and thus forming an upwardly elongated rearward extension of thehopper. Within such extension is housed the upwardly traveling span ofan elongated endless conveyor including a flexible chain 5. Such chainis mounted on upper and lower sprocket wheels 6 and 7 fixed on shafts 6aand 7a. The uppermost of said wheels is sufficiently elevated above thehopper to afford a required lift of the pieces to be conveyed. The lowerwheel is in suitable rearward proximity to the hopper bottom. An upwardextension 8 of the hopper wall 3 is slotted to upwardly continue theslot 3a and the channel member 4 has an upper portion maintaining thedescribed relation to said slot. Said extension 8 forms part of apedestal 8a surmounted by bearings 811 for the shaft 6a. Furthersurmounting the pedestal 8a are a pair of spaced substantiallysemicircular plates 9 between which the conveyor travels rearwardly overthe upper sprocket wheel. It is preferred to so offset the upper wheelrearwardly from the lower one as to afford the conveyor a moderaterearward incline, as about ten degrees, in extending upwardly, thehopper wall 3 conforming to such incline.

The conveyor further comprises a series of pick-up devices secured tothe outer face of the chain 5. Each such device incorporates three linksof the chain and includes a shelf 10 having a slight clearance at itsends from the member 4, a pair of horizontally spaced lugs 11 spacedfrom said shelf in the direction of conveyor travel, and a plate 12adjoining and preceding said lugs in said direction of travel. Thedistance between the shelves 10 of adjoining pick-up devices preferablysomewhat exceeds the length of the work-pieces 13 to be conveyed. Thedistance between the flanges of the channel member 4 is slightly greaterthan the workpiece length, and the spacing of the paired lugs 11 fromeach other and from the flanges 4 permits lodging of a workpiece in anyof such spaces, and affords a material inclination of the pieces solodged. Also, pieces may lodge in a transverse relation to conveyortravel on any of the shelves 10 or on any pair of lugs '11, the variousdescribed lodgments being illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5.

This adaptation of the pick-up devices to variously receive the piecesachieves a much steadier and more reliable feed than can be establishedby devices lacking such diversity of lodgment. Efiiciency of thedescribed devices is such that they will continue to steadily withdrawpieces from the hopper until the latter is completely empty. It has beenfound that an increased efficiency results from employing relativelylong paired lugs 11a at uniformly spaced points along the conveyor, asfor example as elements of every fourth or fifth pick-up device. Theserelatively long lugs loosen up the hopper contents confronted by theconveyor and thus avoid such packing of the workpieces as mightotherwise hold them clear of the conveyor.

Beneath said semi-circular plates 9, a pair of triangular plates 9arigidly flank the channel member. The forward edges 9b of the latterplates are so inclined as to engage and dislodge any workpieces that mayproject angularly from the pick-up devices beyond the margins of saidchannel member.

While the conveyor may be variously driven, it is preferred to installan electric motor 14 at the rear of the machine, and a speed-reducingdrive from such motor to the shaft 6a through a chain 15, gears housedat 16, and another chain 17.

To afford upward passage for the longer lugs 11a it is necessary to forman opening 18 in the hopper bottom confronting the channel 4, suchopening being elongated transversely to the direction of conveyortravel. A housing is disposed beneath and partially obstructs saidopening leaving only spaced channels 19 through which said lugs maytravel as best shown in FIGS. 6, 7, and 8.

Such channels are formed by ribs 20 rigidly aflixed to a supportingmember 21 for the hopper. Except for said channels, the ribs are bridgedby plates 22, which are in part supported by vertical side members 23 ofsaid housing. The latter are fixed, as by Welding, to said supportingmember 21 for the hopper and to downward, mutually oppositely oflsetextensions 4a of said channel memher 4. Said ribs upwardly terminateimmediately beneath the opening 18 and are surmounted by plates 24.

The side members 23 support three plates, 25, 25a, and 25b, disposedparallel to the axis of the lower sprocket wheel 7, and arranged end toend in an approximate are centered at such axis. Said plates carryextensions of the channels 19 to a point substantially beneath saidsprocket wheel 7, so that when one shelf member is traveling upwardlyfrom the opening '33, the next shelf has moved into position between theside members 23 and within the arcuate extent said plates. Thus, while aworkpiece may fall into the housing between said arcuate surface and theconveyor chain after a shelf 10 emerges upwardly therefrom, the descentof such workpiece is confined within the housing so that it must beengaged by the next shelf and carried upwardly, thus preventing escapeof such workpiece, or jamming of the machine. It will be apparent thatthe plates 22 and the rib-surmounting plates 24 prevent workpieces fromlodging between the ribs 20.

For the safety of the operators, and to prevent foreign objects fromfalling or being thrown into the hopper and conveyor, as the lattertravels upwardly, it is preferred to provide a lid 26 (FIGS. 9 and 10)for the hopper, pivoted thereon at 26a. The lid itself mounts pivotelements 27a for a cover 27 enclosing the channel member 4. Such coverhas marginal flanges 27b which rest upon ears 27c projecting from theupper extension 8 of the rear wall of the hopper.

The pivot elements 27a are so disposed on said lid, that when it israised, the channel cover 27 may rise conformingly as shown in dashlines in FIG. 10. The details of the machine have been omitted in FIGS.9 and 10, as they are intended only to illustrate the lid 26 and cover27.

By locating the conveyor as described and shown in exterior proximity toa wall of the hopper, there is avoided any reduction by the conveyor ofhopper capacity, and the resistance oflered by hopper contents isminimized. It will be appreciated that there may be considerablevariation in the particular form of the pieces handled by the describedmachine, the main requisites being an elongation of such pieces andtheir substantial uniformity.

Upon their gravitational discharge from the upper end of the conveyor,the workpieces may be received by any desired delivery mechanism,.as,for example, an orienting apparatus such as disclosed by my Patent2,930,473, hereinbefore mentioned.

What I claim is:

1. In a mechanism for continuously upwardly delivering substantiallyidentical elongated workpieces from a supply source, the combinationwith a hopper forming said supply source and having a fill opening and arear wall and a bottom inclined downwardly toward such wall, of anelongated flexible endless conveyor having an upwardly traveling spanadjoined and substantially parallel to and upwardly extending beyondsaid wall, a revoluble upper mounting for the conveyor, a revolublelower mounting for the conveyor, drive means for the conveyor, aplurality of workpiece pick-up devices mounted upon the'conveyor, eachsuch device comprising a shelf elongated transversely to the directionof conveyor travel, and a plurality of laterally spaced lugs forwardlyprojecting from the conveyor and upwardly spaced from said shelf.

2. In a mechanism as set forth in claim 1, said conveyor being formed ofan endless succession of pivotally joined links, said pick-up deviceseach including a succession of three links, said shelf being attached tothe lowest of the links in upward travel of the conveyor, a flat platebeing fixed to the middle link to avoid engagement therein of anyworkpiece, and said lugs being rigidly extended from the uppermost link,whereby an elongated workpiece may be carried lying longitudinally uponsaid shelf, or across said projecting lugs, or having a lower endsupported by said shelf, and its upper end portion supported by saidlugs.

3. In a mechanism as set forth in claim 2, said hopper being formed withan opening at the juncture of its bottom and rear wall, said conveyortraveling upwardly through said opening to present said pick-up devicesto the contents of said hopper, a housing disposed beneath andsubstantially obstructing said opening, and adapted to admit theupwardly traveling pick-up devices and prevent downward escape throughsaid opening of the hopper contents.

4. In a mechanism as set forth in claim 3, said housing presenting tosaid conveyor a surface approximately arcuate about the axis of thelower revoluble mounting, said surface being spaced from the conveyor toafford passage of said shelves and being formed with channels to affordpassage of said lugs, the arcuate extent of said surface being such thatas one of said shelves emerges from the housing into said hopper, thesucceeding shelf enters said housing, whereby any workpieces fallinginto said housing between said lugs is engaged by and carried upwardlyby said last mentioned shelf.

5. In a mechanism for continuously upwardly delivering substantiallyidentical elongated workpieces from a supply source, the combinationwith such source of an endless flexible conveyor, revoluble mountingssupporting said conveyor, means for driving said conveyor, said conveyorincluding a plurality of work pick-up devices spaced apart in directionof conveyor travel, each device comprising a shelf mounted upon theconveyor and elongated transversely to direction of conveyor travel, anda plurality of later-ally spaced lugs fixed upon the conveyor andprojecting therefrom above said shelf, whereby an elongated workpiecemay be carried lying longitudinally upon said shelf, or across saidprojecting lugs, or having a lower end supported by said shelf and itsupper end portion supported by said lugs.

6. In a mechanism for continuously upwardly delivering materials from asupply source, the combination with a hopper forming said supply sourceand having a fill opening at its top and having 'a rear end wall, apedestal extending upwardly from said end wall, including an upwardextension of said wall, an elongated flexible endless conveyor having anupwardly traveling span adjoining said wall and its extension, of -a lidsurmounting said hopper, means on the rear wall pivotally mounting saidlid, a cover enclosing said extension of the end wall and adjoiningportion of the conveyor, and means on said lid pivotally mounting saidcover thereon, whereby said lid may be pivotally raised to give accessto the hopper and leave said cover substantially in its use position.

7. In a mechanism for continuously upwardly. delivering materials from asupply source, the combination with a hopper forming said supply sourceand having a fill opening at its top and having a rear wall, :anelongated flexible endless conveyor having an upwardly traveling spanadjoining said wall and comprising pick-up devices confronting thematerials in the hopper, said conveyor span having a portion upwardlyextending beyond the hopper, a lid for covering or uncovering said fillopening, means for pivoting said lid upon the hopper'in proximity tosaid rear wall to swing between hopper-covering positions, anduncovering positions, a cover for said upwardly extending portion of theconveyor span, and means pivoting the cover on said lid to swing up anddown about an axis substantially parallel to the pivot axis of the lid.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

